Greece’s spending on healthcare is about average for a European country but when it comes to the quality of service on offer to patients, it comes almost last on a list of 31 nations that includes all EU members.

According to an annual survey by the Sweden-based Health Consumer Powerhouse, which was made public yesterday, Greece comes 15th out of 31 countries in terms of expenditure but is in 27th place when it comes to assessing the results of this spending.

Overall, the Greek health system ranks as the 19th best in Europe, down from 17th last year.

The report also refers to the national health system being a “kingdom of doctors” and that, despite improvements in some areas, such as access to specialists, it is characterized by under-the-table payments and by the need for patients to also spend an excessive amount of their own money.